Vertical tubular bag machine for packing stacks of items placed one on top of the other

ABSTRACT

In order to achieve reliable packing of stacked items ( 18 ) into tubular bags ( 16 ) by a vertical tubular bag machine ( 1 ) with a filling station ( 7 ) above a filling pipe ( 6 ), it is proposed that the filling station ( 7 ) is intended for delivering in each case a stack ( 37 ) of groups of items ( 23 ) placed one on top of the other, each group of items ( 23 ) being formed by at least two partially overlapping items ( 18 ).

The subject matter of the application is a vertical tubular bag machine with a web of film unwound from a supply roll. A machine of this type has a shaping shoulder with a constant and continuously curved deflecting edge for shaping the web of film into a film tube and a vertically aligned filling pipe, which receives the film tube and through which it is possible to fill the film tube. A filling station with items to be packed, above the filling pipe, serves for this filling operation. Two film takeoffs, acting from opposite sides of the filling pipe against the film tube, and consequently against the filling pipe, are provided for further transportation of the web of film and the film tube. A longitudinal sealing device serves for welding the film tube by means of a longitudinal seam, aligned in the transporting direction, and a transverse sealing device with two welding jaws, which can be moved toward each other and weld the film tube transversely, serves for producing top seams and bottom seams of tubular bags. The completed tubular bags are severed from the film tube by means of a cutting device.

Vertical tubular bag machines of this type are sufficiently known. They generally serve for packing flowable or pourable products, such as granules for example. In principle, products in piece form can also be packed.

The known vertical tubular bag machines have the disadvantage that they are not suitable for packing stacks of items placed one on top of the other, since the items can turn during their free fall in the filling pipe, and consequently land in an uncontrollable manner in the welded end of the film tube.

Because of this problem with falling, vertical stacks of items placed one on top of the other are not generally packed by means of vertical tubular bag machines. Instead, these items are stacked into previously produced empty bags that are able to stand, which is comparatively laborious, and consequently expensive, since a vertical tubular bag machine is used for producing the empty bags and a filling station is arranged downstream of it.

The invention is based on the object of designing a vertical tubular bag machine in such a way that it can be used for packing groups of items that are intended to form a stack in the tubular bag.

The object is achieved as specified in the defining part of claim 1. According to this, the filling station is intended for delivering in each case a stack of groups of items placed one on top of the other, each group of items being formed by at least two partially overlapping items. In this case, the term “group of items” is intended to mean a group of two or more items arranged directly next to one another in a horizontal direction (such as coffee pods for example).

The proposed tubular bag machine has the advantage that it is suitable for packing a vertical stack of items. Since two or more items form a horizontally aligned group of items, two or more stacks of this type which are hooked one in the other and therefore support one another are filled into a tubular bag next to one another. In this case, it is immaterial whether a stack gets into the bag in a single filling operation or else by means of two or three successively performed filling operations in which part-stacks are in each case brought up to the filling station and from there into the filling pipe. A stack falls reliably through the filling pipe, since it is stabilized in itself until it lands in the lower end of the film tube. The filling pipe may in this case be adapted to a number of single stacks falling through the filling pipe next to one another.

Further, advantageous refinements of the proposed tubular bag machine are described in claims 2 and 3.

If, according to claim 2, the items are round and have a peripheral, flat edge, they can be overlapped comparatively well by means of their edges, in order to form a stable stack or part-stacks to be stacked one on top of the other. For items of this type, it is sufficient to provide a filling pipe configuration in which two walls of the filling pipe that lie opposite one another and are not intended for the film takeoffs to act on have in each case at least two outwardly directed bends (claim 3). In this case, two bends respectively on a front wall and on a rear wall of the filling pipe assist the falling of a group of items formed by two items (two single stacks next to each other). For three items respectively making up a group of items, a differently bent filling pipe with regard to its filling cross section would be preferable.

The invention is described in more detail below on the basis of figures representing exemplary embodiments, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a vertical tubular bag machine in a side view, with a filling station above a vertical filling pipe, in order to place a stack of groups of items above the filling pipe and then discharge them into a tubular bag;

FIG. 2 shows a shaping shoulder and the filling pipe of the tubular bag machine of FIG. 1 in a view from the front;

FIG. 3 shows an uppermost group of items in a section along A-A of FIG. 1, formed by two partially overlapping items and previously falling freely in the filling pipe, the cross section of the filling pipe being geometrically adapted to this group of items, and the group of items being the uppermost in a stack;

FIG. 4 shows an object analogous to FIG. 3 in a sectional representation, but additionally with four diverting plates at the filling pipe, in order to allow bags with stabilized, welded vertical edges to be produced;

FIG. 5 shows an item to be stacked in a side view, and

FIG. 6 shows a stack which is formed by groups of items placed one on top of the other and respectively comprising two items, and which is to be stacked, in a side view.

In the case of a vertical tubular bag machine 1 with a web of film 3 unwound from a supply roll 2, a shaping shoulder 4 with a deflecting edge 38 (FIG. 2) serves for shaping the web of film 3 into a film tube 5 (FIG. 1). A vertically aligned filling pipe 6 receives the film tube 5 and serves for filling the film tube 5 by means of a filling station 7 above the filling pipe 6. Two film takeoffs 8, acting from opposite sides of the filling pipe 6 against the film tube 5, and consequently against the filling pipe 6, are provided for further transportation of the web of film 3 and the film tube 5. A longitudinal sealing device 9 serves for welding the film tube 5 by means of a longitudinal seam 11, aligned in the transporting direction 10. A transverse sealing device 12 with two welding jaws 13, which can be moved toward each other and weld the film tube 5 transversely, is intended for producing top seams 14 and bottom seams 15 of tubular bags 16. A cutting device 17 severs the tubular bags 16 from the film tube 5.

The filling station 7 is intended for delivering in each case a stack 37 of groups of items 23 placed one on top of the other, each group of items 23 being formed by at least two partially overlapping items 18. The items 18 are round (FIG. 5) and have a peripheral, flat edge 24, which is placed on the neighbouring items 18 (FIG. 6) in order to obtain a compact stack 37.

The filling pipe 6 is adapted with respect to its cross section to the horizontal dimensions of the group of items 23 (FIG. 3), in order to achieve favorable falling, with the stack 37 remaining compact during its fall. Reliable falling and compact arrival of the stack 37 at the lower end of the film tube 5 is achieved in particular by the stack 37 being stabilized by the items 18 (coffee pods) hooked one in the other by means of their edges 24 and by the double stack formation. In principle, the stack 37 is formed by two single stacks hooked one in the other.

The walls 32 of the filling pipe 6 that lie opposite one another and are not intended for the film takeoffs 8 to act on have an outwardly directed bend 34 (FIG. 7) or two outwardly directed bends 34, 35 (FIG. 3).

Diverting plates 39 could also be provided on the filling pipe 6 (FIG. 4), in order in each case to pack a stack 37 into a tubular bag 16, the tubular bag 16 having been provided in a known way (EP 0 627 355 A) with four stabilized, vertically aligned edges (which would subsequently be welded).

-   1 tubular bag machine -   2 supply roll -   3 web of film -   4 shaping shoulder -   5 film tube -   6 filling pipe -   7 filling station -   8 film takeoff -   9 longitudinal sealing device -   10 transporting direction -   11 longitudinal seam -   12 transverse sealing device -   13 welding jaw -   14 top seam -   15 bottom seam -   16 tubular bag -   17 cutting device -   18 item -   23 group of items -   24 outer edge -   32 wall -   34,35 bend -   37 stack -   38 deflecting edge -   39 diverting plate 

1. A vertical tubular bag machine (1) with a web of: film (3) unwound from a supply roll (2), a shaping shoulder (4) with a constant and continuously curved deflecting edge (38) for shaping the web of film (3) into a film tube (5), a vertically aligned filling pipe (6), which receives the film tube (5) and through which it is possible to fill the film tube (5), a filling station (7) with items (18) to be packed, above the filling pipe (6), two film takeoffs (8), acting from opposite sides of the filling pipe (6) against the film tube (5), and consequently against the filling pipe (6), for further transportation of the web of film (3) and the film tube (5), a longitudinal sealing device (9) for welding the film tube (5) by means of a longitudinal seam (11), aligned in the transporting direction (10), a transverse sealing device (12) with two welding jaws (13), which can be moved toward each other and weld the film tube (5) transversely, for producing top seams (14) and bottom seams (15) of tubular bags (16) and also a cutting device (17) for severing the tubular bags (16) from the film tube (5), wherein the filling station (7) is intended for delivering in each case a stack (37) of groups of items (23) placed one on top of the other, each group of items (23) being formed by at least two partially overlapping items (18).
 2. The tubular bag machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the items (18) are round and have a peripheral, flat edge (24).
 3. The tubular bag machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein two walls (32) of the filling pipe (6) that lie opposite one another and are not intended for the film takeoffs (8) to act on have in each case at least two outwardly directed bends (34, 35). 